Overhead sliding door



July 6,' 1943. w s. DEURING I 2,323,585

OVERHEAD smnme noon Filed Dec. 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I v v 111171711" INVENTOR. A BY lA/lLL/AM G. DEz/R/Nc; 5 W W Patented July 6,1943 ears Patent Claims.

This invention relates to doors and particularly to the one-piece typeof door that slides overhead and which is adaptable and appropriate foruse on a private or home garage.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an overhead door ofthe type mentioned which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture 7sliding door with suspension and balance means which do not allow thedoor to slam, drop or otherwise get out of control.

' These and other objects and features of the invention will becomeapparent from a study of the following description and claims togetherwith the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated bylike reference characters and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective inside view of a part of a garage buildingshowing the door and apparatus for hanging same;

Figure 2 is a side sectional view taken along the lines 22 of the Figure1 showing the door and apparatus for hanging the same and also showing,in broken lines, the position of the door and apparatus when it is fullyopened;

Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the door partly opened;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part of the adjustable counterpoisemechanism used with the door;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 55 of the Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a side track and roller bracket engagedtherewith;

Figure '7 is a sectional view of the side track and roller bracket takenalong the lines l---'! of the Figure 6;

Figure 8 is an enlarged view of a door trolley and a rail engagedtherewith;

Figure 9 is a side sectional view of the door, door trolley and railengaged therewith; and

Figure 10 is a similar view of the door, trolley and rail and showingrelative positions of the door and trolley when the door is fullyopened.

Broadly this invention consists of a one-piece or unitary door orclosure member designed to cover an opening in a frame building such asa garage, which member is suspended and guided by overhead trolleys andside rails or tracks and is also balanced and partially controlled by aspring counterpoise.

In the drawings there is illustrated a conventional garage building 26which has a lintel piece 2|, two side jamb pieces 22, two parallel andrearwardly extending beams 23 which project horizontally from thejunctures of the beams and lintel pieces, and two laterally extendingjoists 24 and 24a which are attached to the sloping rafter members 25.The front joist 24 is slightly higher above the beams 23 than the rearjoist 24a. The construction of buildings of this type variesconsiderably and the parts mentioned are not always spaced or positionedas shown, however, the instant drawings show in a general way the moreconventional models and approximately where the said members arelocated. The Figure 2 of the drawings also shows in broken line a partof a standard size and design of an automobile 26 to illustrate thepro-portion and relative positions of parts and particularly to show theclearance of the automobile and the closure or door member 30.

The stationary guides on which the door member rolls from its verticalor closed position to its horizontal or open position consists ofstraight overhead rails 27 and curved side tracks 28. The straight rails27 are secured at their forward ends to the lintel 2i and extend backparallel to each other in a substantially horizontal position to therear joist 24a to which they are securely fastened. These rails aresimply lengths of ordinary iron pipe about an inch and a quarter indiameter and a little longer than the door is high,

The curved side tracks 28 are attached at their bottom ends to the doorjamb 22 by means of the brackets 29, at their upper ends to the beams 23by means of the brackets 29a and between their ends to some frame memberby means of the brackets 29b. The tracks 28 are parallel to each otherand are attached so that their outer surfaces clear the jambs and beamssufiiciently to permit the flanged wheels 33 to roll smoothly over them.These tracks 28 may be made of lengths of ordinary pipe similar to andof about the same diameter as the top rails 21. The brackets 29 aresimply L shaped pieces of stiff metal suitably drilled for attachment tothe lambs and tracks.

The closure member or door 30 is rigid and fits into the opening formedby the lintel and jambs 2i and 22 respectively. About two feet from thebottom on each side of the door, there are attached roller and pulleybrackets 31, which are more clearly illustrated in the Figures 6 and 7Each of the brackets are provided with outwardly projecting roller axlesor pins 32. These pins extend past the side edges of the door member andinto the space between the jambs 22 and the side tracks 28. On the outerends of the pins 3.2 there are mounted flanged rollers or wheels e.which engage the two side tracks 28. Just inside the wheels 33 andbetween them and the bracket portions 3i there are mounted pulleys 34which engage the cable 53 hereinafter referred to in the description ofthe counterpoise member. Ihe bracket elements 3| are also referred toherein as bearings as they provide pivotal points on which the doormember turns as it rises.

The trolleys 35, by means of which the door member engages the overheadrails 21', are attached to the inside top edge of the door and arespaced to match the rails 21. Each of the trolley devices, as is moreclearly shown in the Figures 8, 9 and 10, consists of a bracket 3 whichhas parallel upwardly extending pieces 3! which in turn have parallelslots 38. The slots 38 are also referred to herein as channels. Thelower and upper trolley rollers 39 and 39a respectively are connectedtogether in tandem fashion by means of the links 40 with the rails 21therebetween. The extreme lower ends of the links 40 are provided withlateral pins M which slidably engage the brackets 35 at the channels 38.

In order to seal the door member 33 against inclement weather, weatherstrips are provided for the side edges thereof. The weather strips 42are attached to the inside edges of the door member above the sidebrackets 3i and the weather strips 42a are attached to the door jambs 22below the side bracket 3 l.

A snap-catch or fastener 43 is provided for the upper inside part of thedoor and lintel members, which fastener may be locked or operated by thehandle member 44 on the outside of the door proper. A looped handle orstrap 45 is attached to the lower part of the door so that it may bemore easily pulled down to its closed position or raised to its upperposition.

The drawings show two rails 2'! and two trolley devices 35 but only onemay be used if the weight of the door permits and likewise more than twosets may be used if the door member is extremely heavy or large.

The counterpoise mechanism consists of an extension spring 5|, alsoreferred to herein as a propelling means, the rear end of which isconnected to the rear joist 24a or some other neighboring buildingmember. The loose or forward end of the spring 5| carries a doublesheave block 52 in which the movable pulleys 53 are connected in tandem.In order to adjust the tension of the extension springs 5| so that theyproperly balance the door member 3!], both ends of the springs areprovided with swivel plates 54, the centers of which engage the heads ofthe bolts 55. In. order to facilitate the turning of the plates for suchadjustment, they are provided with finger grips 56. Also, in order toproperly position the spring members and attached sheaves, after thetension has been adjusted, the rear bolts 55 which are rather long, areprovided with wing-nuts 51 so that they may be moved with reference tothe joist 24.

The fixed pulley means is attached to the building proper. It consistsof forward pulleys 5B and rear pulleys 59, one of each being mounted ona beam member 23 on each side of the door. The forward pulleys 58 aremounted substantially on a plane with the lintel 2i and are abouteighteen inches inward therefrom. The rear fixed pulleys 59 are mountedin line with the front pulleys 53 but are about four inches ower andabout eighteen inches to their rear.

The looped flexible element or cable means 60 which may also be a simplecord or chain, has both of its ends securely attached to the front joist24 or to some neighboring rigid building member. The looped cable beforebeing fastened is, however, trained on or otherwise made to engage thetwo pairs of movable pulleys 53 in the sheave block, the two pairs offixed pulleys 58 and 59 respectively and the two side bracket pulleys 54in the manner clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Among the many advantages this door has over other similar doors, is theone which permits it to be opened or closed with very little energy.Once the counterpoise is properly balanced with the weight of the doorand the various pulleys are properly positioned, it may be easily openedor closed without slamming or banging. Its operation is smooth andalmost automatic. The main reason for this is the cable and compoundpulley arrangement and the reaction therewith of the special trolleymechanism.

By referring to the Figure 2, it will be observed that when the trolleydevices 35 are on the minor portion or part of the rail forward of thepoint on the rail 21 that is directly above the axis of the pulley 34,the counterpoise mechanism will tend to draw the door member to a closedposition; and similarly, when the trolley devices are on the majorportion or part rearward of this point, the springs will tend to openthe door. The only energy required to open the door is that necessary tomove the top of the door past the critical point which is directly overthe axis of the pulley 34; and when it is noted that, because the sidepulleys 34 are rather low, a considerable leverage is obtained bypushing inward near the top of the door member 3|], its operationbecomes very easy.

The operation of closing the doors is just as easy. The only energyrequired is that small amount needed to overcome the tension of thecounterpoise mechanism. For example; a closure member having a doorweighing one hundred pounds will have the counterpoise mechanismadjusted to balance about one hundred and fifteen Or one hundred andtwenty pounds. The operator then would only have to apply a force ofabout fifteen or twenty pounds to the fully opened door to bring theside rollers 33 down to the straight lower ends of the tracks 28. Thissmall force is easy to apply inasmuch as the door is conveniently pulleddown from an overhead position by the strap 45. Actually, the closuremember, as it is hung and operated in accordance with this invention,constitutes a toggle device. The door acting as a toggle lever has itspeak resistance when the trolley device 35 is at a point on the rail 21which is immediately above the pulley 34.

In order to distinguish this toggle closure device further, it may bepointed out that single fixed pulleys may be substituted for the twospaced pulleys 58 and 59 on each side of the door and single lengths ofcable may be used to engage the side brackets and the pulleys instead ofthe looped cable 60 as shown; but it has been found in practice that ifonly one fixed pulley is used, the toggle action is rather abrupt and isapt to cause a sudden loss of control of the door and cause unnecessarybanging at its extreme positions. With two rollers as shown, the toggleaction is gradual and more even. The operation of the door is alsosmoother because there is no abrupt stop when the rollers 34 reach thetop ends of the guide rails 28. The substantially horizontal portion ofthe cable member 66 which happens to be between the rollers 58 and 59when the door is fully opened serves as a buffer or tensionedcradle-like support for the roller 3 1 and the bottom portion of thedoor adjacent thereto.

Contributing to this smoothness of action and ease of operation are thespecially designed channelled trolley devices 35 which automaticallyshift the suspended weight of the door from forward to rearwardpositions. This shifting takes place when the trolley 35 is about midwaybetween the two fixed pulleys 5B and 59. At this midway point the weightof the door also shifts from the top roller 38a to the bottom roller 39or vice versa depending on which Way the door is moving. When thetrolley 35 is forward of the midway point between the fixed rollers, thedoor rides the overhead rails 21 on the lower trolley roller 39 and whenit is back of this midway point, the door rides on the upper roller 39a.

It should be noted further that while the door 30 is closed and is in avertical position, and even when the roller 39 is in the portion of theslot 33 to the rear of the inside surface of door 39, an imaginary lineconnecting the pin 32 of the roller 33 and the pin 4| of the roller 39would not be vertical. In that position both the trolley 35 and theentire bulk of the door 30 is forward of the component of force exertedon the pulley 34 and the track 38 by the counterpoise mechanism. Thespring 5i, therefore, after reaching a certain critical point, tends toclose the door.

It will now be clear that there is provided by this invention anoverhead sliding door which accomplishes the objects set forth. Whilethe invention has been illustrated in a specific form and while certainspecific terms have been used to describe it, it is to be understoodthat the embodiment of the invention as described and illustrated issuggestive only and is not to be considered in a limiting sense. It isalso to be further understood that there may be other forms oradaptations of the invention and those modifications are also consideredto be within the broad scope of the invention as no limitations upon itare intended other than those imposed thereon by the breadth of theappende claims.

I claim:

1. An overhead door assembly, comprising in combination, a buildingframe forming a doorway, a movable closure member including a trolleydevice and side bearings closing the doorway when in a substantiallyupright position and opening the doorway when in a prone position, arail member having a major portion extending rearwardly of the bearingsand a minor portion extending forwardly thereof, and a counterbalancingmechanism mounted on the aforesaid frame and connected to the saidbearings in a manner urging the closure member to the open position whenthe trolley device is on the said major portion or to the closedposition when the trolley device is on the said minor portion.

2. An overhead door assembly, comprising in combination, a buildingframe forming a doorway, a movable unitary closure member including atrolley device and side bearings and closing the doorway when in asubstantially upright position and opening the doorway when in a proneposition, a rail member having a major portion extending rearwardly ofthe bearings and minor portion extending forwardly thereof, and atensioned counterbalancing mechanism mounted on the aforesaid frame andhaving looped flexible elements connected to the said bearings in amanner urging the closure member to the open position when the trolleydevice is on the said major portion or to the closed position when thetrolley device is on the said minor portion.

3. An overhead door assembly, comprising in combination, a buildingframe having a lintel and jambs and forming a doorway thereat, a movableclosure member including a trolley device and side rollers closing thedoorway when in a substantially upright position and opening the doorwaywhen in a prone position, a rail member attached to said lintel andextending rearwardly thereof and engaging the said trolley device, sidetracks attached to the said jambs and engaging the said side rollers,and counterbalancing mechanism mounted on the said frame and includingflexible elements connected to the closure member in a manner urging theclosure member to the open position when the trolley device is rearwardof the side rollers or to the closed position when the trolley device isforward thereof.

4. An overhead door assembly, comprising in combination, a buildingframe having a lintel and jambs and forming a doorway thereat, a movableunitary closure member including an overhead trolley device and siderollers closing the doorway when in a substantially upright position andopening the doorway when in a prone position, an overhead rail memberattached to the said lintel and extending rearwardly thereof andengaging the overhead trolley device, side tracks attached to the saidjambs and engaging the said side rollers, and a counterbalancingmechanism mounted on the said frame and including looped flexibleelements connected to the side rollers in a manner urging the closuremember to the open position when the trolley device is rearward of theside rollers or to the closed position when the trolley is forwardthereof.

5. An overhead door assembly, comprising in combination, a buildingframe, having a lintel and jambs and forming a doorway thereat, amovable unitary closure member including an overhead trolley device andside rollers closing the doorway when in a substantially uprightposition and opening the doorway when in a prone position, an overheadrail member attached to the said lintel and extending rearwardly thereofand engaging the trolley device, side tracks having curved portionsmounted on the said jambs and engaging the side rollers and acounterbalancing mechanism mounted on said frame and including loopedflexible elements connected to the side rollers in a manner urging theclosure member to the open position and the side rollers to the saidcurved position when the trolley device is rearward of the side rollersor to the closed position when the trolley device is forward thereof.

WILLIAM G. DEURING.

